Hello everybody! Today is the day that we are celebrating Ka-chan Anime Reviews’s 3rd Anniversary. I always amazes me when this anniversary comes around that I am still here. The last year has been a little iffy for me, seeing as how I fell off the face of the Earth, but this blog is something that does mean a lot to me. I was not sure what I really wanted to talk about today, but I decided to list off five tips that I have learned over the past three years of blogging, which may be helpful or it could just be me rambling for for god knows how long. But that really would not be anything new, would it? Anyway so here are 5 things/tips that I have learned in my years of blogging.

1. Stats are Important, but Not Everything

I can tell you a lot of my problem which lead to the “falling off the Earth” was because there was a post that I wrote, that I worked hard on, that did not get as much attention as I thought it was going to. The stats were not poor by any means, but I set my expectations way too high. Stats are a good way to see what things are going over well and which are not, and you can kind of alter your posts and such accordingly. Take it as a learning thing, and not an opinion on you as a blogger. Just because a post is not as “popular” as you wanted it do be does not mean you should just quit. Do not have your feelings hurt like I did, which then caused me to quit something I really loved. Learn from it.

2. Quality Over Quantity

There are people out there who post everyday, and they absolutely amaze me. That is a lot of time and dedication that I am still trying to manage. It is not an easy thing to do whatsoever, and it is quality posts they come out with (sometimes even twice a day). However, in my opinion it is better to post quality stuff you are happy with. It is not about cranking out as many posts as you can, in my opinion. It is about the quality of your post. This week is about the only time I post every day, but I have been working on all of these posts for a while so I did not make them in one day. Do not rush to meet a deadline you set for yourself, make sure what you are putting out is informative and what you want it to be before you post it. Your readers will be happier that way.

3. Schedule, Schedule, Schedule

I did not use the scheduler at first. I was like “no when I write a post I want it to come out that day, because I was done with it that day”. This became difficult when I was trying to post things because I was only writing them the day that I wanted to put them out. This made me feel like the post was rushed, and not my best work. Scheduling allows you to work on things early, and be able to go back to them if you forgot something and want to add it. There are still some times that I write a post the day I end up publishing it, but oftentimes these are posts that are kind of random anyway. The more serious stuff I schedule and take time to work on. When I started working on this week, for example, by the time it started I already had three posts schedule. This would help just in case something came up and I could not write that day. It will really only benefit you in the long run, so I recommend giving it a try.

4. You are Not Perfect, and That is Okay

Sometimes you are going to mess up. Sometimes you will ready through a post and see misspellings, confusing sentences, and so on. If I had a dollar for every time that happened to me, I could quit school and do this all day. Then you would get posts daily! Haha. Anyway, I do mess up a lot, and I admit it. I rely on spellcheck too much and am unable to read over my posts to look for problems. I just read right over them, because it is my own writing. Something that, oddly, reverses when I look over other people’s work when I am basically the grammar/spelling police. I know my flaws, and I work on them, but I know some things are just my personality. So do not give up because you used knew instead of new, or one sentence just did not read right. Your writing is your own. Definitely work on your weak points, but never get discouraged if you are bad at something or mess something up. No one is perfect, no matter what they say, and you are wonderful just how you are. Flaws and all.

5. Get Involved

I kid you not, when I first started this blog three years ago I was on no kind of social media and got like two views a month. I kid you not. Getting involved both on here with fellow bloggers and the same/different people over on Twitter has helped both me and this blog a lot. Plus you can meet some other awesome anime fans to geek out with! I have found them as both sources of motivation and just fun people to interact with every day. Just sitting on your blog waiting for views will get you nowhere if you are not reaching out also. Start with me if you want to! I am always here if any fellow blogger needs help, has any questions, or just needs someone to talk to. And I know I am not the only one who will tell you there are there if you need help with something. We are a community! We need to stick together!

Oh! Also love what you do! Because if it just becomes something that you feel you are obligated to do, you are not going to want to do it anymore. So make sure you enjoy it as well!

That is all I have for my 3rd Anniversary Post today! Thank you to those of you who have been here for a while, and those of you who are new! Thanks for putting up with a sporadic schedule and my complete randomness most times. I would not have continued doing this for three years if it was not for you guys!

Congratulations! Three years is a great milestone to reach and those tips all ring true for newcomers and veterans alike (even if social media is not something I am itching to jump into just yet). The most important one is the hidden number six in your post: Love what you do, as I agree you won’t get much mileage if doing this is more of a strain than an enjoyment. Here’s to many years more!

Gratz Ka-chan :D!!!. I remember meeting you around that time (..or was it slightly later??). But yeah, excellent post and tips for any new comers. I hope they take on aboard what you said, because they mean alot. Being a seasoned ani-blogger willing to help out newcomers, I can’t explain the feeling. Keep posting as always Ka-chan!! :D.

"I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. Ally to good! Nightmare to you!" - Goku